Hermetic Dictionary
Encyclopedic index of philosophical and alchemical concepts.
Compact Directory
GENERAL
AlchemyAnthroposDeificationEgyptEmanationsGod MakingOchemaPalingenesiaPhantasmataPietro PomponazziProphecyRegenerationSymphorien ChampierTalismansVirtus LociALCHEMICAL
ChrysopoeiaLapis PhilosophorumPrima MateriaQuintessenceSolve et CoagulaSpagyricsTria PrimaCOSMOLOGICAL
Anima MundiAnima Mundi (Divine Soul)DecansDemiurgeEmanationismHeimarmene (Fate)Infinite SphereMacrocosm and MicrocosmOkhemaPlanetary MansionsPneuma / SpiritusSympatheiaLINGUISTIC
AretalogyPHILOSOPHICAL
Altered States of KnowledgeArcheusAstral MagicCosmic AscentDoctrine of CorrespondenceEnnoia (Thought)Historical ImaginationImmanence of RatioImmanent LogosLogosMagia NaturalisMagical ImaginationNousPhilosophical HermeticaPhronesis (Practical Wisdom)The MonadSCIENTIFIC
SuffumigationTechnical HermeticaTHEOLOGICAL
Christian KabbalahChristian TheosophyEnnead (The Ninth)EusebeiaGnosisHermetic CirclesHermetic PersonaLumen Gloriae (Light of Glory)Monas GenerativaOgdoad (The Eighth)Perfect Nature (Al-Tabi'a al-Tamma)Philosophia PerennisPlanetary SpiritsPrisca TheologiaPronoia (Providence)SerapisThe Book of ThothThe Way of HermesTheurgical StatuesTheurgyThriskeiaUnio MysticaVia UniversalisWay of HermesGENERAL
Alchemy
No short definition available...
Anthropos
No short definition available...
Deification
No short definition available...
Egypt
No short definition available...
Emanations
No short definition available...
God Making
No short definition available...
Ochema
No short definition available...
Palingenesia
No short definition available...
Phantasmata
No short definition available...
Pietro Pomponazzi
No short definition available...
Prophecy
No short definition available...
Regeneration
No short definition available...
Symphorien Champier
No short definition available...
Talismans
No short definition available...
Virtus Loci
No short definition available...
ALCHEMICAL
Chrysopoeia
The specific alchemical process of making gold from base metals....
Lapis Philosophorum
The ultimate goal of alchemy, capable of transmuting base metals into gold or granting immortality....
Prima Materia
The original, undifferentiated substance required for the Great Work....
Quintessence
The fifth element; the ethereal substance beyond the four earthly elements....
Solve et Coagula
The fundamental alchemical operation of breaking down a substance and recombining it into a higher form....
Spagyrics
The alchemical practice of separating and reuniting plant or mineral components....
Tria Prima
The three principles of matter: Sulfur, Salt, and Mercury....
COSMOLOGICAL
Anima Mundi
The universal essence that connects all living things....
Anima Mundi (Divine Soul)
From Liber XXIV: "God is the soul of the world, whose body is the universe."...
Decans
36 ten-degree segments of the zodiac with specific spirits and influences....
Demiurge
The 'Craftsman' or creator god in Hermetic and Platonic thought. In the Poimandres, the Demiurge is the second Mind (Nous) who fashions the seven governors...
Emanationism
The Neoplatonic model of creation overflowing from the One like light from the sun....
Heimarmene (Fate)
The concept of destiny or astronomical fate in Hermeticism. In many treatises, the goal of the practitioner is to rise above the Heimarmene through Gnosis....
Infinite Sphere
The definition of God as an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and circumference is nowhere....
Macrocosm and Microcosm
The structural mirror between the universe (macro) and the human body (micro)....
Okhema
The 'vehicle' or subtle body of the soul in Neoplatonism....
Planetary Mansions
The 28 lunar mansions and planetary hours used for talismanic construction in the Picatrix....
Pneuma / Spiritus
The subtle, airy substance that bridges the physical body and the immaterial soul....
Sympatheia
The Stoic and Hermetic doctrine of universal sympathy, where all parts of the cosmos are interconnected....
LINGUISTIC
PHILOSOPHICAL
Altered States of Knowledge
Scholarly framework for understanding gnosis as a profound cognitive shift....
Archeus
The vital, animating force within living beings....
Astral Magic
The practice of drawing down planetary forces into talismans or the human spiritus....
Cosmic Ascent
The journey of the soul through the planetary spheres to its divine origin....
Doctrine of Correspondence
The axiom 'As above, so below,' linking macrocosm and microcosm....
Ennoia (Thought)
The divine thought or conception from which the cosmos emerges....
Historical Imagination
The framework through which scholars construct and tell the narrative of history....
Immanence of Ratio
Historiographical term for the 12th-century view of cosmic rationality....
Immanent Logos
The divine principle of reason as an internal structure within the human mind....
Logos
Word, reason, or discourse. In Hermeticism, the Logos is the creative instrument of the Mind (Nous) and the mediator between the divine and the material...
Magia Naturalis
Natural magic; the manipulation of occult properties inherently present in nature....
Magical Imagination
In the Picatrix, the imagination is not merely a mental faculty but a creative force capable of shaping reality and establishing links with the celestial...
Nous
The supreme intellect or divine mind that structures the universe....
Philosophical Hermetica
Scholarly category for the theoretical, philosophical, and theological treatises of the Corpus Hermeticum and Asclepius....
Phronesis (Practical Wisdom)
A type of wisdom or mindfulness that allows the practitioner to navigate the material world without losing sight of the divine....
The Monad
The singular, indivisible principle of unity at the root of all existence....
SCIENTIFIC
Suffumigation
The ritual use of incense to attract planetary spirits and establish sympathetic links....
Technical Hermetica
Scholarly category for Hermetic texts dealing with practical sciences like alchemy, astrology, and magic....
THEOLOGICAL
Christian Kabbalah
The Renaissance synthesis of Jewish mysticism to prove Christian dogma....
Christian Theosophy
A post-Reformation current originating with Böhme focusing on the inner life of God and nature....
Ennead (The Ninth)
The ninth sphere, identified with the realm of God or the highest Mind, beyond the Ogdoad....
Eusebeia
Piety. The proper attitude of the Hermetic practitioner towards God, often identified with the knowledge of God itself....
Gnosis
Experiential knowledge of the divine and the cosmic order....
Hermetic Circles
The small, informal groups of students and masters in which Hermetic teaching and ritual practice likely took place....
Hermetic Persona
The idealized figure of Hermes Trismegistus as a sage-prophet, used to authorize Hermetic revelation....
Lumen Gloriae (Light of Glory)
The divine illumination through which God is known, as described in the Liber XXIV philosophorum....
Monas Generativa
From Liber XXIV: "God is the Monad, generating the Monad, reflecting upon itself the fire of love."...
Ogdoad (The Eighth)
The eighth sphere, above the seven planetary spheres, where the soul begins its final union with the divine after death or during initiation....
Perfect Nature (Al-Tabi'a al-Tamma)
The celestial twin or higher self of the practitioner in the Picatrix tradition....
Philosophia Perennis
The idea of a timeless, universal philosophy underlying all religious traditions....
Planetary Spirits
The intelligent, celestial entities associated with the seven planets, which the practitioner of the Picatrix seeks to petition and bind through ritual....
Prisca Theologia
The doctrine of an ancient, singular theology given by God to early sages....
Pronoia (Providence)
The divine care or foresight that governs the cosmos, often contrasted with Heimarmene....
Serapis
A syncretic Greco-Egyptian deity whose cult center (the Serapeum) was a major intellectual hub in Alexandria....
The Book of Thoth
The legendary Egyptian source text to which many Hermetic works claimed to be related or descended....
The Way of Hermes
The distinctive Hermetic path of spiritual initiation and contemplation, as described in the Corpus Hermeticum....
Theurgical Statues
The ritual animation of idols by drawing down celestial spirits, as described in the Asclepius....
Theurgy
Ritual practices intended to invoke divine presence....
Thriskeia
Cult or Worship. The ritual expression of piety, which in the 'Way of Hermes' often involves internal contemplation and the singing of hymns....
Unio Mystica
The mystical union between the practitioner and the divine Mind, the culmination of the 'Way of Hermes'....
Via Universalis
The concept of a "universal way" of salvation or knowledge that transcends specific cultic boundaries, often associated with Hermeticism and Neoplatonism....
Way of Hermes
The experiential and contemplative path leading to Hermetic gnosis....